50 Best American Restaurants in Knoxville

“We had a fantastic evening - first we were proactively moved from a table next to a large group and therefore noisy to a quieter space in the restaurant- where does that ever happen - secondly our dinners were exquisite- creativity and quality above the price - one of the best meals we’ve enjoyed in a while - had the tuna crisp - burrata salad -osso buco - chicken and trout - financier and olive oil cake - we would happily order any of those again - thank you for a wonderful evening - we will be back !“

“If you love biscuits and sausage gravy this is the place for you. Delicious!“

“Shout out to the bartender, Tara. You were absolutely phenomenal during our visit! Keep making those amazing White Russians!!“

“One of my favorite places to eat anytime I am in Knoxville. Great vibes, food and drinks not to mention the best is Kayla. Always so polite, kind, attentive with an up beat attitude and smile on her face. Such a joy. But please bring back Tuscan Chicken 😀“

“Food is incredible and service was great. Very knowledgeable server. Portions were sizable as far as fine dining goes. Had the chicken and dumplings and they were fantastic, husband had the wagyu steak and it was perfect. Definitely try the bread board.“

“We needed a burger and a quick old fashioned! This place was packed and they still turned out our food and drinks fast! The well whiskey was good too. I should have gotten the whiskey flight! Buffalo trace , welled reserve, Blanton’s, and to finish it off with some Taylor! Man, that sounded like a great choice! This is place is on my Must revisit!“

“They say you should never meet your heroes, but clearly they’ve never met Candy. I ordered a simple unsweet tea, macaroni, a burger slider… and she turned it into a five-star experience. Halfway through my meal, a flock of rogue pigeons somehow burst through the front door (long story), and one made a dive straight for my slider. In one fluid motion, Candy blocked it with a cocktail shaker, slid me to safety, and single-handedly negotiated peace with the birds. She refilled my tea before I even knew I was thirsty again. Her tea pouring technique should be studied in hospitality schools, and if she ever writes a memoir, I’ll be first in line… assuming she isn’t too busy saving the world. 5 stars, no notes“

“Our first visit for dinner won’t be the last! We ordered steak and burgers and were very very satisfied-great quality food! Charity, the manager, and Lily, our waitress, went above and beyond to provide amazing service. It was obvious that that is the standard to which they do business. We were very impressed and will definitely be back!“

“When I tell you this was some of the best food I have had in a long time, I am not kidding! 😊 The Smokey Burger was fantastic and huge! The bacon was perfectly crispy. I am not usually a crispy bacon fan, but their bacon changed my mind. 😍 The onion rings were perfectly crisp and the batter was neither too sweet or too salty. It was a perfect balance. It is definitely a family friendly place with great service. I highly recommend! 😊“

“A+. The food was 5star plus!!!! Great server! Highly recommend!“

“Great burgers best burgers“

“Delicious food, helpful staff. Had a great experience!“

“Good sno balls on hot days“

“We ate here twice while we were in town, and we loved it! The servers, Amber and Daniel, were fantastic-nice, attentive and great personalities. We will definitely be back there!“

“I loved this place. Intimate atmosphere, great drinks, wine and dinner menu. Enjoyed our meal very much.“

“love everything especially the made to order fresh chicken livers.And cobbler!!“

“Fantastic girls getting it done! They should play Fail Army on tv,that’s funny.Not as many guys as you think watch sports at all.I know because I go there a lot.“

“My go-to for comfort food! All the daily specials are consistently delicious. The prices are on point, considering the generous portions (enough for two meals. I often call ahead to order a breakfast biscuit for carryout. The staff feels like family! Highly recommend! 5 stars“

“My husband & I moved up to Powell from Orlando in April. We really miss our old Smash Burger place, Cow and Cheese, so 7/4 we spent part of our day at the Mall and tried BR. He had a double jalapeño burger and I got a double mushroom & swiss. Absolutely delicious! We ended up going again today, 7/6 and added Bacon Cheese Ranch fries. Also excellent. They make everything to order but it comes out pretty quickly. We both highly recommend everyone try them. We will be back. They serve Coke products along with 2-3 different fruity beverages.“

“Denise is was my bartender and server. She is one awesome person. Five star ⭐️“

“My wife, our 3-year-old daughter, and I stopped in today for a late lunch while visiting Knoxville from Ooltewah (Chattanooga). We're always on the lookout for great spots to eat, and this place did not disappoint. While there was a bit of a wait from ordering to getting our food, we weren’t in a rush—and it was absolutely worth it. My wife did also make the comment that she read that everything here was cooked fresh from ordering. Our server was friendly, attentive, and gave us fantastic recommendations after asking a few thoughtful questions. We ended up loving everything we ordered. As we were eating, we overheard another customer commenting on how good the food was and how busy it had been earlier—it was around 2-3 p.m., so we figured the staff was catching their breath after the lunch rush. We’ll be back in town next week, and we’re definitely coming back here! I signed the check and left it at the table, as we had to hit the road back to Ooltewah and didn’t get the chance to properly thank our server. She was excellent, and we truly appreciated her service. We hope to see her again when we're back next week.“

“I have been eating here for years and love their sandwhich selection! I have always had good service and really enjoy the atmosphere.“

“Delicious grits!!! And yummy spicy bloody marys!“

“Haven't had a bad meal and the staff is very nice! The burger and BBQ sandwiches are some of the best in town!“

“This place feels like an upscale local bar. Regulars sitting at the bar, which doesn’t bother me a bit. The bar tenders (Katana and Mike) were both very nice and personable. They checked on me regularly. The Caesar salad was good. Pimento cheese and sausage was a bit odd. I’ll definitely be back!“

“I have been eating here for years and love their sandwhich selection! I have always had good service and really enjoy the atmosphere.“

“Delicious, healthy food & cheery place to go!“

“Delicious, healthy food & cheery place to go!“

“What a quaint place. I loved the log cabin vibe. The staff was very friendly and our waitress was so sweet. The food was delicious and the portions are large. My quiche and chicken salad sandwich was delicious. My son had a ham and cheese sandwich which was huge.“

“Great service and great food!! The staff and the manager make sure you enjoy your meal and your evening. We will definitely be back ?“

“Will NEVER eat there! Served my son a ROTTEN Oyster!!! Emily Acknowledged and apologized that the oyster was rotten!! I spoke to her after the incident and she was very apologetic and wanted to make it right!! Fast forward, asked for all the receipts for his medical care and then crickets!!! Weeks later, he received a $50- gift card, what a joke!! That is NO WAY to do business!!! BEWARE!!!!“

“We celebrated my daughter’s birthday in this place, we took an ice cream cake which we asked for a favor to be placed in the freezer and they made the mistake of placing it only in the refrigerator in which it melted, we were disappointed when sharing it with our guests. Fortunately, the manager was kind to apologize for the host’s mistake and bought us with slices of cake from the same restaurant.“

“I walked in and was immediately greeted by smiling faces ! I order my favorite sandwich, which had a few customizations and Courtney did not mind at all!!! She was so nice and engaging. Literally willing to make anything I wanted! The staff worked well together and my food was out super fast. Very pleased with my visit!!! Wish we could get one in Sevierville!“

“Great place to eat. Good food, good service. Sweet katie is always great.“

“Waiters And waitresses are the best. Annie was our waitress and she was awesome .there is a new manager who was not very visible or engaging. Not impressed with her“

“the food was good it was just a little cold I had salmon and broccoli was cold“

“My server, Alex was polite and attentive. He gave us refills in a timely manner. The chicken salad sandwich was delicious. Best baked squash also.“

“Perfect little place where you CAN bring your kids.. I’m usually in there 3 or 4 nights out of the week where I play in pool tournaments and also APA pool league. And then I’ll bring my son in there on Sundays. Really is a good place to hang out with your family and friends.“

“Best breakfast, friendly staff!!“

“Excellent food & amazingly friendly staff“

“First place I went to eat when I came "home" to Knoxville!“

“We were passing through and decided to stop since we no longer have a Shoney’s in our hometown. The food was great , service was great, and my kids loved getting to try their first hot fudge cake!“

“I've seen it there for the past month and finally stopped by. I'm glad I did I had the Bacon cheese burger meal with fries and drink and a steak Taco. Prices are decent and food was delicious.“

“Been here several times and every visit has been exceptional! Will continue to eat here and the staff and owners are very helpful, nice, kind people. A must do for all.“

“1st time at Drakes. Had a great experience. Decent prices, solid food, great inside/outside atmosphere, prompt service that predicted my needs so I wasn't ever waiting and thoughtful on the little things (For example an added halfwall in the bathroom so when opening the bathroom door you don't see guys standing at the urinal). We'll be back.“

“This place was nasty. Food isn't labeled - you have to guess what you're eating. My daughter plated Mac and cheese with a long black coarse hair in it in front of my husband and was so disgusted she didn't even want to eat anything. The "steak" is bathing in what I assume is Montreal Steak Seasoning and some type of juice. My toddler literally ate a breadstick and NOTHING else - not even Jello. I paid for our meal but regret eating here. Sorry just my opinion. Our server was WONDERFUL so I have NOTHING against her.“

“We ate at the Cheddars on Clinton Hwy in Knoxville and man it was soooo good. My son and I had the sirloin and they were cooked to perfection! There was a slight timing mishap with a soup and salad but they made it right on the spot and I am glad that I did not get that salad earlier because I would not have been able to enjoy every bite of that steak. The green beans? Oh my gosh soooo good. Next time I will forget about the salad and get the two sides. I didn't catch our server's name but she was great! Shout out to server: hey girl tell us your name! you don't have to say I am _____ and I will be your server. But maybe, and my name is _____ if you need to get my attention. That is what I used to do. And you were great! Thank you Cheddars!!! Oh and Kyle Busch is my driver!!“

“Very good atmosphere.Food was great and waitress was very nice“